


Coming to Your Senses

by Demiboy_Luffy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Asexual Character, Bisexuality, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:24:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9686819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demiboy_Luffy/pseuds/Demiboy_Luffy
Summary: The development of Sanji and Usopp's relationship  as told through the five senses.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There is a disappointing lack of Sanuso in the fandom. And stuff from Usopp's POV. This had to be fixed. 
> 
> I don't have a beta, so let me know about any grammatical errors or any other weird stuff.

"So he tasted the deep pain that is reserved only for the strong, just as he had tasted for a little while the deep happiness." 

 

Not long after the Strawhats left Drum, the wind picked up. Grand Line weather was bizarre as it is, but wind that could send a full grown man flying was a bit much, even for them. Despite Nami's navigational expertise, the poor Merry just couldn't take it. The Strawhats hadn't much a choice but to ride along with the strong winds and their captain was more than happy to do so. 

The wind had slowed, and night finally fell when Usopp spotted it in the distance. He was on first watch in the crow's nest, and it was little more than a speck in the distance, but the sharpshooter's eyes locked right onto it. 

He had went to wake Nami and Vivi, but they were already up, and Usopp saw a little bit more of the two girls than he had ever wanted to see. 

Nami insisted she had only just woke up because she had sensed the shift in atmospheric pressure as they entered the Island's climate zone, but he wasn't inclined to believe her, or the half naked princess that just so happened to be in her bed. 

"Well, At least we don't have to worry about the log pose." Nami explained with a sigh. She exited her room, thankfully, fully clothed. 

Usopp snickered when he saw Vivi exit the room soon after Nami, cheeks red. And Nami gave him a dirty look. 

"Keep that up and I'll have to have a little talk with Sanji." Nami smirked at him and Vivi gasped slightly.

"Nami! Let him figure it out on his own!" Vivi swatter Nami rather hard in the arm, abandoning her previous embarrassment. 

Usopp looked at her quizzically for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he did that may have made the cook mad. He couldn't recall anything in specific, beside maybe sneaking the rest of the tabasco sauce from the fridge...

"Hey, it's not like he was going to use it anyway! He buys the stupid tabasco and never puts it on anything!" Usopp crossed his arms and pointed his long nose up at them. Vivi laughed, as Usopp ranted on.

"In fact, have I told you about the time my eight thousand followers and I were so frustrated with him that we found a giant-" His fable was cut short but an unimpressed Nami 

"Sure, tabasco sauce." She put her hand on her hip and chuckled. 

“Could it be that you steal it before he gets to use it?” Vivi laughed as Nami chimed in.

"I most definitely agree on the frustrated part though. He sure is something, sometimes. Wait, no, scratch that. All the time." Vivi gave Nami an unidentifiable look before Chopper and and Sanji exited out of the men's room onto the deck, where Usopp, Vivi, and Nami were conversing. Sanji's Eyes locked right on the girls, and he danced nearly right into them. 

"Ah Nami-swan, Vivi-chan, what are you doing up so late?" The sickly sweet sound of his voice was out of place in the quiet of the night. Normally Usopp didn't mind speaking with Sanji, minus when he was around women. 

"Usopp spotted an island." Nami said simply, not taking her eyes off of Usopp. She turned to peer down at Chopper, and gave him a small smile. 

"I'm sorry, did we wake you up?" She spoke. Chopper was the only one on the crew she was nice by default to. Although she had her sweet moments, Usopp supposed that she was just overly irritated with the rest of them because if their tendency to irritate her. Although, it could just be that Chopper had just recently joined. 

"No! Of course not Nami-san. I was just getting to bed when I heard your sweet voices -and Usopp's- out here." He replied before Chopper could speak. 

"What Sanji said!" The reindeer confirmed. Nami looked at Vivi, and then back at Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper. 

"Alright. Well, we won't be there for another good 5-7 hours, so all of you can go back to sleep. Minus you, Usopp. Switch out with Sanji later, Zoro will just fall asleep." Nami rolled her eyes, and bid goodnight to the group along with Vivi before heading back to her room with the blue haired princess in tow. 

"Ahhh, watch is going to be so boring tonight. Just gotta watch us get closer to a tiny little island; I'd rather watch paint dry." Usopp stated sourly. He fiddled with the bandana on his head and turned toward Sanji and Chopper. 

“So, Sanji? Switching with me?”

Sanji took the cigarette out of his mouth. Usopp watched as he unconsciously rolled it between his long, thin fingers. 

"Yeah. I may just stay up, though, your watch will be over in about two hours. I think I'll plan out breakfast." Sanji returned the cigarette to his mouth before moving toward the galley. 

"I'll be up in a bit." He passed Usopp on his way to the kitchen, and Chopper was left behind on deck with Usopp. Usopp stared at him on his way to the kitchen, in curiousity. Did he ever sleep?

"You guys must be good friends." Chopper commented. Usopp looked at him in slight surprise.

"You guys just act different around each other than you do the other crew members. That's all. Like how Nami treats Vivi, kinda." Usopp wanted to correct him, and tell him all about Nami and Vivi, but he held his tongue and thought about the reindeer's words instead. He and Sanji... acting like Nami and Vivi? They're a couple, Sanji and him were just crewmates. Nakama. It wasn't the same thing. 

"Really? I never noticed." Usopp brushed it off, and bid goodnight to the tired doctor. As he returned to his spot in the crow's nest, he noticed how cold it had gotten. The night had already cooled down quite a bit, but the temperature had dropped even more, likely due to them entering the island's Climate Zone. He sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest. 

Usopp paid close attention to his crew. When he wasn't off working on his own little projects, or off on some crazy adventure with the rest of the crew, or even goofing off with Luffy and Chopper, he liked to spend time with everyone. 

At first, it was mostly Nami and Sanji. While Nami's desk just happened to be near a spot Usopp frequently sat to work, Sanji was different. He would sit in Merry's kitchen with Sanji and talk a bit, or watch him cook. He liked watching Sanji cook; he was methodical and precise with everything he did. Sometimes Usopp got lucky, and got to taste test whatever meal Sanji was making, or a snack he had made for the girls. It was always delicious no matter what, but he was well aware Sanji already knew that. 

Most of the time, Sanji would be humming as he stirred some ingredients into a soup, or when he was chopping vegetables. Cigarette in his mouth or not, Sanji was always doing something to keep his mouth busy. 

Robin had proposed that it was possible that Sanji had an oral fixation, when they were having a conversation out on deck one day. He knows Robin well enough that he didn't really want to stick around to hear what she'd say after the fact.

He later looked up the definition, and was relieved to know it wasn't something horrifying. Robin loved to mess with people, after all. 

Connotations aside, Usopp enjoyed listening to Sanji's humming, though muffled through the filter of a cigarette. 

So, what? He watches Sanji a lot, and knows a lot about him. They spend a good amount of time together, after all. Usopp could say the same for his other crewmates, could he not? 

Usopp knew what Chopper had meant, even if the reindeer himself didn’t. Maybe he and Sanji were were close-ish, but did they really seem like a couple? The sharpshooter knew that Sanji would probably have steam coming out of his ears if he ever heard anyone say that. 

Usopp was so deep in thought, that he hadn't noticed Sanji climb up the ladder to the crow's nest. 

"Oi, Usopp." Sanji spoke suddenly, startling the sharpshooter. The cook had two mugs gripped in a single hand, and a blanket in the other. He came and sat down next to Usopp, and handed him a mug. 

"It's cold, so," Was his only explanation, as Usopp took the warm mug from him. He took the blanket that he had set between them, and set it on Usopp's lap. Usopp set his mug down, and wrapped the blanket around his cold shoulders.

"Thanks, Sanji." The cook nodded, as he dug a cigarette from the pack in his jacket He rested the little, white stick between his lips, and returned his pack of cigarettes to his inner pocket. 

Usopp took a small sip of his tea, tasting the cinnamon on his tongue. The flavor of Nami's mikans and something milky, mixed with the cinnamon and other spices, filled his chest with warmth.

"It's good." Sanji grinned his way and began rattling off the ingredients, but the sharpshooter's mind wandered. Having Sanji sitting right next to him only made things more complicated. After all, Chopper did just tell him that they act like a couple. 

"Long-nose. I'm talking to you, y'know." Usopp was snapped out of his thoughts when an annoyed looking Sanji caught his attention. He bashfully brushed it off, claiming he spaced out. It wasn't exactly untrue, after all. 

"What's with you?" Sanji asked. Usopp side-eyed him.

"What do you mean?" Usopp replied, taking another sip of his drink. 

"You're all space-y. And I know it can't be the drink, so spill." Usopp decided to avoid the question. He was most certainly not going down that road with Sanji. It wouldn't end well.

"How do you know it's not the drink?" Usopp asked. Sanji narrowed his eyes.

"Because that's your drink, shitty Long-nose." Usopp blinked. Sanji just rolled his eyes.

"I make drinks specifically to the tastes of each of our crew members." He gestured to their mugs. 

"This is yours. I made it to suit you." Usopp cocked his head in thought. 

"What makes it suit me?" He asked curiously, turning to cross his legs and face Sanji. The cook put down his mug and rubbed his stubbly chin in thought. 

"Cinnamon, ginger, citrus, nutmeg..." Sanji listed off the ingredients of the tea. Usopp listened intently, as usual.

"Plus, I put a bit of cream in it. I know you enjoy cream in your tea, no sugar though." Sanji finished, taking a sib of his own. Sanji looked down at the cup in his hand, watching the liquid swirl.

"What about you?" Usopp asked, looking at Sanji's mug. Sanji chuckled.

"Same as you. I made enough for two cups, after all. So we could share." He wasn't exactly sure what the action meant, but it made Usopp blush. Twiddling his thumbs, he fell into silence with Sanji by his side. 

Neither of them spoke until they were nearly finished with their drinks. 

"Do you have a special drink?" Usopp asked. Sanji shrugged.

"It's really no fun making anything for myself, so no." He sipped the last of his tea, and set the nug in front of him. 

"I enjoy black teas, like this." He traced around the top of the mug with a single finger. 

"I'm partial to wine, too; red, not white. I've never really made anything for myself, though. It's just not something I do." He lit up a cigarette, the spark momentarily lit up the dim night, casting a yellow light across his face. 

“Ah.” Usopp stared down at his boots in thought. The two sat quietly for a few moments, before Sanji stood up and grabbed his and Usopp's cups from the floor. Silently, Sanji made his way down the latter. 

“Thanks again, Sanji!” Usopp called after him. 

He never got a reply.


	2. TASTE: II

TASTE: II

 

After Robin joined the crew, things got a little bit more interesting. Sanji had yet another lady to fawn over and spoil. On the other hand, Usopp was still quite frightened by her.

 

She won the rest of the crew over pretty quickly, excluding Zoro. The swordsman clearly didn't trust her. 

 

Despite the distrust, she got along well with the rest of the crew. She fit right in, as if she'd always belonged there; though, she was still distant. Still careful. 

 

Admittedly, Usopp could get used to having Robin on board. Unadmittedly, Usopp was jealous. 

 

Sanji invested so much time in the girls. Especially Nami, now that she had to be separated from her girlfriend. Usopp missed Vivi just like the rest of them, but Nami missed her the most.

 

Sanji picked up on that. 

 

He made all of her favorite foods, and snacks, and drinks. He told her how lovely she looked and how great she was, as he usually did, but less pervy. Thankfully. 

 

Sanji, in all his sexism, at least had a certain degree of self awareness. 

 

That was another thing about Sanji. Sanji really was a nice guy, a great guy, really. But he had one,  _ huge _ gaping flaw in his personality and that is his treatment of women. 

 

It generally annoyed everyone,  _ especially  _ the girls. Usopp was annoyed because, although he felt sorry for the ladies and Sanji's patronizing ways, he also felt jealous is some weird, screwed up way. 

 

Sanji was nicest to him in comparison to the rest of the guys on the ship, but unless they were alone, he wasn't actually  _ nice.  _

 

When they'd switch places in the crow's nest, Sanji would make him food, or a drink. He might bring him a blanket, or a pillow.

 

He'd sit, and their shoulders would touch, or their legs, or feet, depending on the way they sat. Once, Sanji even relaxed his head against Usopp's shoulder as they talked, dawn turning to day as a winter island grew larger on the horizon. 

They'd talk about just about anything, and everything. 

 

It was  _ nice.  _ Sanji was a nice person, and nice to be around  _ and nice looking. _

 

Seriously! Usopp knew for a fact that girls would probably be all over him if he wasn't such a damn pervert. Right?  _ Guys  _ actually hit on him all the time! He was hot, it's just facts!

 

Usopp was just acknowledging it, though. It didn't mean he was attracted to the guy, right? 

 

It wasn't like Usopp had an issue with being attracted to guys, it's just, Sanji? Of all people?

 

Yeah, guys hit on them all the time, but! 

 

They almost always end up getting some teeth knocked out by Sanji’s designer shoes.

 

Usopp does not want his teeth knocked out by designer shoes. 

 

Fullstop.

 

But Nami, after everyone had arrived back from the island for dinner, just  _ had  _ to make Usopp’s life harder.

 

“Usopp, don't you think Sanji looks nice today?” Nami gave him a cat-like grin from across the table, Sanji behind her, facing the countertop. 

 

“Uh,” He stared at Nami, avoiding Sanji’s gaze like the plague.

 

“No!” Isopp said quickly.

 

“I mean, not  _ no-  _ but uh"

 

“He looks good everyday! Not that I'd really  _ notice  _ th-" 

 

"Usopp, we already know you think the shit-cook is hot." Zoro interrupted as he got up from the dining table and walked out the door, ensuing an awkward silence.

 

Nami began to laugh just a moment later, as she pushed her empty plate forward on the table. She practically stumbled out the door the galley, laughing into her hand. 

 

Robin followed elegantly after.

 

Chopper slowly and surely made his way out onto the deck as well, just to follow after Zoro and the girls. 

 

Besides Usopp and Sanji, only Luffy was left. He had grabbed Nami’s nearly empty plate to devour the crumbs on it, before he noticed. 

 

"Hey," he said, licking his lips. 

 

"Where did everyone go?" 

 

“They left.” Usopp replied, stupefied. 

 

“Oh.” They stared at each other for a moment before Luffy jumped up and ran at the door, calling after the majority of his crew.

 

"So," Sanji broke the silence. 

 

"You think I'm hot?" He asked, amused. All Usopp wanted to do was bang his face off the fridge, or something. 

 

"Maybe?" He chuckled awkwardly, and Sanji turned around to face him. 

 

"Oh." The two returned to silence. Sanji began putting the clean dishes away, while Usopp fiddled with a hangnail on his forefinger and thought about what to say.

 

As Sanji finished putting away the dishes, Usopp stood, and tried to head towards the galley door, but Sanji beat him to it. He was standing right in front of Usopp, preventing his escape.

 

"Uh," Usopp pointed at the door wordlessly. Sanji shook his head.

 

"You aren't leaving just yet." Usopp gave him a look of apprehension. He turned on his heel, and returned to his spot at the table. Sanji followed after him, leaning against the table beside him, lighting up a cigarette. 

 

Usopp's nervousness only increased at the sight of Sanji's unreadable face. His silence wasn't helping either. 

 

"You think I'm hot." Sanji stated. Usopp sunk in his seat.

 

"Why is this even a big deal? Yes,  I admit it! I think you're hot! Can I leave now?" Sanji blinked at his outburst, before he began to chuckle. Usopp planted his forehead firmly on the table, and sighed. 

 

"So you really  _ do _ think I'm hot." Sanji really seemed to get a kick out of that. Usopp groaned this time. Sanji moved from his spot next to Usopp and made his way towards the door, Usopp turned around to look at him, as he exited the galley. 

 

"You aren't so bad, yourself, Usopp." And with that, Sanji left, abandoning a gaping Usopp at the kitchen table. 

 

"What," Usopp whispered to himself.

 

"Just happened?" Usopp stared off into space, gaping.

 

Then, Luffy's voice came from the other side if the galley door. 

 

“You told Sanji that you think he's hot!” Luffy's reply was quickly followed by a sound of pain.

 

“Idiot! What part of ‘eavesdropping’ don't you understand?” Nami shouted. She opened the door to reveal the rest of the crew, besides Robin, on the other side of the door. 

 

Usopp slumped in his chair.

 

“Is there no privacy on this ship? None?” he sighed, exasperation and embarrassment engulfing him. 

 

“What do I do!?” Usopp through his hands up into the air.

 

“Well, he said you're ‘not bad yourself’” Nami shrugged, nonchalantly. 

 

“Better than nothing. You have some work to do, though.” Nami grinned his way. She wanted to squeeze some cold hard cash out of him. Usopp just  _ knew it _ .

 

Chopper clumsily found his way onto the chair beside Usopp, a look of guilt and embarrassment on his tiny features. 

 

“Sorry for spying on you… We were all just curious.” Chopper patted him on the arm.

 

“Well, besides Zoro. He went to go nap.” Luffy laughed at that, and then suddenly his eyes got wide and his mouth formed an “o”.

 

“Wait, Usopp is in love with Sanji!” Luffy realized, just then, and exclaimed to the group. Nami facepalmed. 

 

“We're all well aware of that, Luffy. Thanks.” She scooted out the chair next to Usopp )that was not occupied by Chopper) and pushed him down into it with ease.

 

“I'm not in love with him! I just, I just think he's attractive, okay? Okay!?” Usopp followed his defense with a string of gibberish. Nami rolled her eyes.

 

“You might not be  _ in love _ with him, but you do like him. You can't deny it.” She said, softer this time. 

 

“Okay. So, I like him a little bit. Big deal.” Usopp crossed his arms and slumped in his chair. 

 

“Did he just tell the truth?” Franky exclaimed.

 

“Supe-” Nami cut him off.

 

“At least you can admit it, now.” Chopper nodded solemnly and Luffy looked lost. 

 

“Okay, so, step two of this operation is getting him to admit that he likes you too!” Usopp made a rather unattractive choking noise while attempting to reply. Luffy cackled, while Franky spoke up.

 

“But, Sanji is so crazy about women?” 

 

“And Usopp,” Nami added. 

 

“I give my blessing as captain!” Luffy declared, out of the blue. Usopp just wanted a hole to bury his head in. 

 

“You know, captain, if the two of them want to get married you would have to officiate the wedding. “ Thanks, Robin. 

 

Thanks.

 

“Ooohhh,” Luffy’s eyes got wide

 

“We should throw them a wedding!” 

 

“That's not how that works,” Usopp banged his head down on the table.

 

“You guys are going to kill me.” he whined. 

 

“So melodramatic.” Nami shook her head at him. She took a seat on the table next to Usopp.

 

“Hey, I swear we just wanna help! No charge!” she smiled at him, sweetly. Nami was a great friend when she wanted to be, but he knew there was one other benefit to her if she got Sanji and him together.

 

“...He won't hit on you anymore, huh?” Usopp mumbled, looking up at her through his eyelashes. She shrugged.

 

“That's a plus for Robin and I, but we really just wanna see you guys happy. Y’know?” he looked around the table, and everyone nodded in agreement, including Luffy.

 

“Usopp and Sanji will be great together!” Luffy gave a grin, and he  _ knew _ there was no running away from this.

 

The next day, Usopp was the first one up, not including Sanji. Sanji almost always wake up early to start breakfast for the rest of the crew, and Usopp remembered him mentioning he woke up no later than 5 in the morning  _ every _ morning. That he couldn't help it. 

 

It was still dark, and the sea was steady. There was a light on in the hall, amd he made sure not to wake up anyone else leaving their little cabin.

 

He went out on deck, and looked out over the horizon. You couldn't see the little island they had stopped at in the distance anymore was all empty water, and you couldn't see a single thing off in the horizon. 

 

He saw the light of the kitchen coming through the porthole of the door above him. He figured Sanji must of already began breakfast, and figured it must just be past five. 

He trekked up the stairs, barefoot, and looked through the little window, seeing Sanji standing in front of the stove. The fluorescent kitchen light made his hair shine like gold, and washed out the black of his suit. He turned his head, so Usopp could see his face, and the light casted across only half his face making his cheekbones look sharp and his eyes glow.

 

Usopp looked in, for just a moment. He sighed, and thought about how absolutely screwed he was, before entering.

 

“Hey Sanji-kun…” he said, just loud enough for the cook to hear him. The guys were sleeping just below the kitchen, and he didn't want to wake them.

 

Sanji stopped humming, and turned to Usopp in surprise.

 

“You're up early,” Sanji blinked.

 

“Hungry?” Sanji grabbed a plate from the cabinet.

 

“Uh, not yet.” Sanji hesitated, but still brought the plate down for the cabinet and set it off to the side. 

 

It was quiet for a moment, as Usopp took a seat at the end of the table. Sanji stirred something on the stove, before putting down the whisk, and turning his attention to Usopp. He leaned against the counter, and cocked hi head at Usopp. 

 

“Hey, try something for me?” Usopp straightened up in his chair.

 

“Sure!” Sanji motioned for him to stay where he was, and grabbed a spoon from the drawer. 

 

He grabbed a bowl from the fridge and brought it with him to the table. He stood next to Usopp and looked down at him for a moment. She gave a small smile, and scooped something from the bowl, and put the spoon up near Usopp’s mouth. 

 

“Taste it, longnose.” Usopp did, and felt his face grow hot when he realized Sanji was literally spoon-feeding him. Sanji noticed his realization and laughed. 

 

He took the spoon back, and looked at Usopp expectedly.

 

“Well?” Usopp blinked at him.

 

“ Uh,” Usopp didn't really know what to say.

 

“I, uh,” Sanji rolled his eyes.

 

“You weren't paying attention.” Sanji pulled one of the other chairs right next to Usopp’s and took a seat on the edge of it. He got more from the bowl, and held the spoon up to Usopp’s lips once more. Usopp, still red in the face, accepted it once more, remembering to taste it.

 

It was a little sweet, mostly tart. Very creamy and smooth. Amazingly good, even more than usual.

 

“Peaches?” Usopp asked. Sanji nodded.

 

“Peach pudding.” He put the cover back over the bowl. 

 

“I love peach pudding,” Usopp said, mostly to himself.

 

“I know,” Sanji stood, leaving the medium sized bowl on the table with the spoon beside it. He walked over from the cabinet and grabbed a bowl, and returned to set the bowl in front of Usopp. 

 

“Have some. Breakfast won't be done for another hour or so.” Usopp nodded.

 

“Did you try it?” It slipped out before Usopp even realized it.

 

“Not since I refrigerated it.” Sanji sat down again, and reached for the spoon, but Usopp got it first. He scooped it right out of the bowl and held it towards Sanji.

 

The cook looked a bit surprised, but leaned in to meet the spoon halfway, anyway. Usopp laughed to himself a bit.

 

Sanji licked his lips, and didn't really move back at all. He stayed where he was, and looked at Usopp, eye to eye. 

 

“It's good, Sanji said, offhandedly. He looked at Usopp’s face, up and down.

 

“I think it's perfect,” Usopp leaned in a bit closer, and Sanji suddenly rested his hand on Usopp’s cheek. 

 

Usopp could feel his heart beating in his throat, as they both leaned in and their lips finally met in the middle. 

 

It was brief, and all he could taste was peaches. 

 

They was quiet for just a moment, before Usopp broke the silence.

 

“So,” they made eye contact, and suddenly neither of them could hold back their laughter.

 

“Oh my god,” Usopp hit Sanji’s shoulder lightly.

 

“Go make breakfast!” Sanji kept laughing, stumbling back to the stove to finish breakfast.

 

The two talked like nothing had even happened until Robin walked in with her book, a few minutes before Sanji finished breakfast. 

 

The crew ate together, rambunctious as always, and if anyone noticed the glances they were tossing at each other, they didn't say a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops it been a while
> 
> This is 100% unedited lmao I'm lazy and dont have a beta


	3. SIGHT: I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something sweet at the start of something dangerous.

For some reason, their log pose kept wanting to point up. 

They reached a tiny island after a short while, but Nami said it wasn't the one. That it was too small to even impact the logpose. 

They docked there in hopes of foraging for some fresh fruit and potentially hunting game, but they stayed due to it's beautiful beach and unique assortment of intricate shells and rocks that littered it.

“Did you get taller?” Usopp was standing barefoot on the beach, only in his swim trunks. He was looking out across the water, when Sanji came up behind him.

He turned to look up at Sanji, he wasn't really that much taller than him. Sanji put a hand flat above his own head, and bought it over Usopp’s, then back to his own.

“Probably, I've been eating really well.” Usopp laughed and Sanji smiled at him, proud. It's only been a few months since he went out to sea with everyone, too.

“Damn right you have.” Sanji went silent as he lit up a cigarette. 

“How do you manage to keep stocked up on cigarettes when you smoke so many?” Sanji rolled his eyes, and blew some smoke out of his nose, which shouldn't have been nearly as attractive as it was. 

“I buy a shit ton of cigarettes, then ration. Just like I do with food,” he rolled the cigarette between his lips.

“Got to have something keeping me on my toes, I guess.” 

Usopp laughed, and stood closer to Sanji, more in front of him than anything. He looked down at their feet.

“You cook for the crew all day, you're always on your toes.” 

He shifted his bare toes so he was standing somewhat on Sanji’s, or, at least where he imagined they probably were. 

It would have been a lot cuter if Sanji wasn't wearing shoes at all.

Usopp tried! Plus, he was pretty sure there had been worse attempts at flirting.

He had rested his hands on Sanji’s sides to keep his balance, and so he could touch him. Sanji returned the gesture.

“That's true.” He said. Usopp glanced up to look at him.

He blew smoke from his nose again, his hands too preoccupied to remove the cigarette from his mouth.

Usopp looked back down, looking at how their chests touched. 

“Hey,” Usopp looked at Sanji at first through his eyelashes, then moved his head to meet his eyes completely. 

“What were you doing out here, anyway?” Sanji let go with his left hand to withdraw the cigarette from his mouth and put it in his front jacket pocket where he tended to keep his lighter.

“Finding some shells and such…” Usopp grinned. 

“You'll never guess what happened though, so-" Sanji shook his head as Usopp spun a wild tale about how he stopped an evil doctor from rising from the sea in a submarine from kidnapping their captain. 

“Usopp, Sanji!” Nami came running across the beach, waving something in her hand. 

“Nami-swan?” Sanji turned to her, concern in his voice, Usopp was still.

“Come look what we found!” She had Belis in her eyes. She jumped up and down with glee before grabbing onto Sanji and pulling him along with her, Usopp following right behind them.

She took them off to the East side of the Island, which requires some minor hiking. Usopp wished he would have brought his shoes along with. They got to the top of a rock formation when they saw it. There was a drop into a jagged ravine, and in the rocky side of the ravine there were jewels and crystals embedded in the rocks. 

“I can only imagine what that's worth!” Nami shouted gleefully, throwing her arms into the air. Sanji praised her attention to detail (the idiot. Who wouldn't notice jewels the size of a fist sticking out of a plain rock in broad daylight?) Before Usopp interrupted. 

“Heh, Nami, where is everyone?” Usopp looked over the edge of the steep cliff, the water was boatless, and there was no sign of Luffy or Zoro. 

“Chopper and Robin are back at the ship already, but I sent the two dummies to go grab some rope and that rowboat.”

“Why not bring the ship around?” Usopp scratched behind his neck. 

“The water is way too shallow. You can't see them now, but there are lots of jagged rocks below the surface. If we get this done quickly, we can get the rowboat into the water and extract some precious… jewels, before the tide is down.” She smiled to herself, stuck in her own world.

Usopp glanced at Sanji, who was rolling a cigarette between his finger tips. The way the tropical sun made his hair shine and his eyes light up usually made Usopp's chest tighten, but with the expression that lay in his face it was hard to do anything but worry.

“Sanji-kun?” Nami noticed as well.

“This feels a bit weird to me.” he glared at the rocks ahead of them. Nami frowned.

“I know, but, it'll be worth a shot. If something goes wrong, I know we can handle it.” She gave them two thumbs up, and a sappy smile overtook Sanji’s face.

“Nami-swan…” they shared a brief, and admittedly cute moment before Sanji turned his smiling face to Usopp. 

“...Except for maybe Usopp….” Usopp gasped in offense and slapped Sanji’s arm. They all broke out into a fit of giggles, and Sanji intertwined his hand in Usopp’s. 

Everything was good in the world, for a few small moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I'd love to know what you guys think. Leave a comment :)

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and reviews mean everything to me! (Seriously.)


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